Book Title: The High Court by Chris Ledbetter
Category: YA Fiction, 290 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Month 9 Books
Release date: October 16, 2018
Tour dates: April 1 to 30, 2019
Content Rating: PG (some profanity (damn, ass), no f-bombs, some kissing, no sex scenes, some violence, nothing gory or graphic)
Book Description:
High atop Mount Olympus, dawn breaks on a new academic term. Normalcy has returned to campus following a harrowing expedition into The Underworld to rescue kidnapped students by Zeus and his fellow Olympians. Now, as they prepare to testify in The High Court, Hyperion will be tried for the attack on Crete and death of Anytos. Kronos will stand trial for the murder of Mount Olympus Prep’s Headmaster Ouranos.
As the trials draw near, Mount Olympus Prep students and faculty are besieged repeatedly by a race of gargantuan stone and earth giants. Under heavy assault, the Olympians are forced to flee to the volcanic island of Limnos to regroup. Meanwhile, a toxic poison Zeus has carried with him since a prior fight with a dragoness, creeps toward his brain.
In a race against time and beasts, Zeus and his friends must find a way to survive not only the toxin ravaging Zeus’ body, but also the giants who grow stronger after every attack, and somehow make it to the The High Court alive.
To read reviews, please visit Chris Ledbetter's page of iRead Book Tours.
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Meet the Author:
He's a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. He now writes and lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram
Interview with Chris Ledbetter
I LOVE the concept of a Zeus coming-of-age tale. Where did you get the idea for this book?
After reading so many stories about the contemporary offspring of various deities, I wanted to go to the source. With a wealth of material, we all have an idea of who these larger than life characters were. I simply wanted to breathe life into their origins, create a fresh way of viewing them.
How much research into Greek mythology did you have to do to prepare to write The Sky Throne?
Honestly, I’ve loved mythology since I was a young child. More specifically, I’ve read tons of articles and posts as well as read a plethora of books on the Greek gods and their origin stories. There are actually differing accounts of certain origins and myths, depending on the historian. So I had to thread these together and cross-reference them in order to arrive at the most highly regarded elements.
What gave you the inspiration for the storyline?
The storyline is loosely based on Hesiod’s Theogony, the creation myth and collection of origin stories that fuel Greek mythology.
Are there any hidden themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?
Duality is a running theme, that there are two sides two everything. Also, people sometimes do bad things for good reasons.
Of all the Greek gods, which one do you most identify with?
Of my characters, I think I identify most with Demeter. She’s very down to earth and unassuming, as much as a Greek deity can be. ☺ She’s also more of a peacemaker who tries not to get to deep into quarrels… until pressed to do so.
Can you give us a hint about which other Greek gods or mythological beings we can expect to see in The Sky Throne series?
Well, let’s see… the other Olympians, Hera, Hestia, Hades, Demeter, and Poseidon are all center stage. There are elder deities represented by older Titans. There are also younger teenaged Titans. As for beasts, there is a nice delegation of fire-breathing mythical beings.
Are any of the characters based on real people you know?
Not really. Some of the characters are more what I’d call composites of people I know. They end up being like a stew where you throw in a little of this and a little of that while staying as true as possible to canonical characteristics.
What was your favorite part about writing The Sky Throne series?
My favorite part of writing this story was simply inhabiting the characters. I love them all. Every one.
Who has influenced you most as a writer?
I have had the great pleasure to be in a critique group with lovely writers from the Nevada chapter of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Some of these writers are the greatest I’ve ever known and they influence me greatly. Outside of them, James Dashner, Dan Brown, and Laini Taylor are probably my top influences.
If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?"
Ohmigod! This is an awesome question! *taps temples* Hmmm, okay let’s go with… Ryan Sharpe (Tracy Clark’s Mirage), Karou (Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone), and Cassie Colesworth (Martina Boone’s Compulsion). I propose that we should play CLUE: Star Wars Edition. I would order in some pizza from a local favorite in Wilmington, NC, Pizzetta’s. I’d choose these people because they are among my favorite characters for many reasons. (All hail the respective authors for creating such fine characters) The game Clue is great for groups and I’m a Star Wars geek. And the pizza from Pizzetta’s is simply awesome.
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